The summer had an ominous tone for the artsy, beer-centric neighborhood of North Park. Six late-night assaults targeting lone women stuck to the minds of residents since early June.<\/p>\n While there was an audible sigh of relief with the Sept. 8 arrest of 23-year-old David Angelo Drake in connection with several of the attacks, apprehension still hangs in the air. Now, nearly three months after the first attack, an invigorated commitment to public safety is a visible effect of the summer\u2019s attacks.<\/p>\n On social media and in conversation, many residents remain concerned that the arrest of Drake will not end the crime spree. Indeed, two of the six attacks were perpetrated by two men, meaning at the very least, Drake\u2019s cohort is still at large. Furthermore, some have pointed to the fact that Drake, a tall, slim black man, looks considerably different than the short, braces-wearing Hispanic man described in police sketches.<\/p>\n Although no similar assaults have been reported in the North Park area since Drake\u2019s arrest, two assaults on women in Mission Hills were reported in a two-week span; the most recent took place on Sept. 9 near Lucha Libre in Middletown.<\/p>\n Days prior to Drake\u2019s arrest, Council President Todd Gloria, who represents North Park on the City Council, held a press conference with police and community leaders to detail lighting improvements made to the darker areas of North Park.<\/p>\n Twenty streetlights in the area, mostly along the notoriously dim Lincoln Avenue, had been repaired, with three more soon to come. A few brand new streetlights have also been rushed into existence, and several older, incandescent streetlights were updated to LED. The North Park Recreation Center\u2019s tennis court lighting will remain on throughout the night to brighten the area around Lincoln Avenue, where many of the assaults have been concentrated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure we could replicate this in every part of the city,\u201d Gloria said of the expeditious manner in which the lights were installed. \u201cBut the safety of my residents here require it, so we got it done.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly before the press conference, the North Park Community Association (NPCA) announced it would hold a second community forum to discuss ways to further increase safety in the area. The NPCA\u2019s first community forum called for additional lighting in the area.<\/p>\n The meeting has been rescheduled to take place Sept. 29 at the North Park Lions Club. NPCA President Edwin Lohr said the need to increase safety in the area must continue regardless of whether or not this crime spree continues, although he admitted being exhausted by the last few months. Despite the flood of media attention on the crime spree, Lohr \u2014 who is active in multiple citizens\u2019 patrols in the area \u2014 said the community has been reluctant to get involved, especially in joining North Park\u2019s citizens\u2019 patrol. He said at the community forum, 35 people signed up as potential patrollers, but only one followed through.<\/p>\n \u201cThat percentage is just horrible,\u201d Lohr said, who was elected NPCA\u2019s president shortly before the attacks began. \u201cI\u2019m working my butt off \u2014 we\u2019re [the NPCA is] working our butts off \u2014 and we\u2019re not seeing the fruits of our labor.\u201d<\/p>\n While the citizens\u2019 patrol hasn\u2019t flourished in the way Lohr and others predicted, other organizations in the community are stepping up in other ways. Lohr said collaboration among volunteer groups is imperative if they want to keep making an impact.<\/p>\n North Park Main Street (NPMS), the neighborhood\u2019s business improvement nonprofit, partnered with SDG&E and North Park business Evari GIS Consulting to identify broken streetlights in the neighborhood. NMPS Executive Director Angela Landsberg was also surprised by the quick lighting turnaround by the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how they worked that out; I\u2019m grateful they did,\u201d Landsberg said.<\/p>\n Bar Pink has been keeping extra staff around to walk women to their nearby cars and homes, said owner Dang Nguyen. He said the safety and lighting efforts are all \u201cpart of what we\u2019ve been trying to create here in North Park, a walking village where people can access everything they want to or need to on foot.\u201d<\/p>\n The Xtreme Justice League, a citizens\u2019 patrol outfitted as superheroes, recently partnered with Krav Maga San Diego Academy to hold a self-defense workshop for North Park women on Sept. 10. Over 40 people, from SDSU students to elderly residents, received hands-on coaching for nearly three hours outside of North Park\u2019s rec center.<\/p>\n Gloria\u2019s staff also reaffirmed continuing efforts to improve North Park lighting and safety in lieu of Drake\u2019s arrest. Spokesperson Katie Keach said Gloria\u2019s office won\u2019t stop efforts to increase lighting, finance community efforts and install security cameras at North Park\u2019s Alba High School. Keach recommended that residents remain alert while walking the streets at night, and to avoid unlit streets, which she acknowledged is \u201chard to avoid in some areas of District 3, which is what we\u2019re trying to improve with additional lighting and better awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"IMG_0092web\"](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/IMG_0092web.jpg\")
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